10 Up-And-Coming Contemporary Photographers From Ireland

Courtesy of Samuel Laurence Cunnane

Irish design has never been more in demand than it was in 2016, and the nation’s brightest photographers have been both participating in and documenting this exciting renaissance. Read on to discover the talented contemporary photographers from Ireland coming to the fore.

Al Higgins

With a degree in Fine Art from the National College of Art and Design and based in Dublin, Al Higgins has produced photographs gracing the editorial pages of the country’s finest lifestyle publications and worked with some of Ireland’s best creative companies, as well as creating personal collections primarily based around landscapes. Shooting everything from portraits of fashion designers like Helen Cody to travel commissions, his skills have earned him a reputation as one of the most promising young talents in Ireland. Not limited to the Emerald Isle, he has also worked across Europe and the United States.

Courtesy of Al Higgins

Courtesy of Al Higgins

Courtesy of Al Higgins

Ruth Maria Murphy

After travelling extensively and living in Canada, Ruth Maria Murphy has thankfully returned home to Ireland, where she now works across the realms of architecture and interiors, fashion, travel and commercial photography. Having been widely published everywhere from the Irish Arts Review to Condé Nast Brides magazine throughout her career thus far – plus exhibiting in Paris and New York and winning photography competitions in Toronto – she can additionally list brand development among her many talents, having worked with brands such as that of internationally renowned jeweller Rudolf Heltzel.

Courtesy of Ruth Maria Murphy

Courtesy of Ruth Maria Murphy

Courtesy of Ruth Maria Murphy

Samuel Laurence Cunnane

Samuel Laurence Cunnane describes himself as a ‘documentarian’, achieving his impossibly thoughtful photographs – handprinted from 35mm film – in a manner he refers to more as a process of ‘making’ than ‘taking’. He states his artistic interest as being in ‘looking at the world through half-closed eyes, with sideways glances and from fleeting viewpoints, rooting imagery in the fragments that make up everyday life.’ The past two years have seen him exhibit at the Douglas Hyde and Kerlin galleries in Dublin and the THEODORE:Art gallery in New York.

Courtesy of Samuel Laurence Cunnane

Courtesy of Samuel Laurence Cunnane

Courtesy of Samuel Laurence Cunnane

Nathalie Marquez Courtney

Magazine editor-turned-techie Nathalie Marquez Courtney is also a gifted lifestyle photographer, whose images of pieces made by celebrated Dublin ceramists Arran Street East was published in The New York Times earlier this year. Specialising in shooting interiors, lifestyle and food, she has worked with multiple other publications and was shortlisted for Magazine Photographer of the Year at the 2015 Irish Magazine Awards.

Courtesy of Nathalie Marquez Courtney

Courtesy of Nathalie Marquez Courtney

Courtesy of Nathalie Marquez Courtney

Clíona O’Flaherty

Dublin-based photographer Clíona O’Flaherty’s professional focus is on food and lifestyle, in which capacity she has taken portraits of people like the first-ever Laureate for Irish Fiction Anne Enright – for The Wall Street Journal – and yachtsman Javier ‘Bubi’ Sansó, for The New York Times. Equally accomplished at shooting short films, she counts Amnesty International and Jameson Irish Whiskey among her clients.

Kathrin Baumbach

Nominated for Magazine Photographer of the Year at the 2016 Irish Magazine Awards, Kathrin Baumbach is best known for her dynamic photographs for Hot Press magazine, capturing artists like R.S.A.G and We Cut Corners, as well as cultural figures like Archbishop Eamon Martin. Her work has also appeared in Cara magazine, The Sunday Times, British GQ and Sony Music, among others.

Courtesy of Kathrin Baumbach

Courtesy of Kathrin Baumbach

Courtesy of Kathrin Baumbach

Emily Charlotte Greene

Featured by the Irish Independent newspaper as the photographer to watch in 2015, Emily Charlotte Greene works from a studio at Dublin’s Talbot Gallery but spends much of her time in the field, snapping for clients like designer Aisling Duffy and Totally Dublin magazine. Focusing on fashion and portraits, her work is fresh, modern and engaging.

Courtesy of Emily Charlotte Greene

Courtesy of Emily Charlotte Greene

Courtesy of Emily Charlotte Greene

Tristan Hutchinson

Splitting his time between London and Dublin, editorial and fine art photographer Tristan Hutchinson has participated in group exhibitions in cities from Hamburg to Cardiff and held solo exhibitions in Ireland. Recent works include images of musician Tom Hill for Village Green Records and a commission for the Hidden Cities: Dublin partnership between The Financial Times and Google. Other names on his client list include Airbnb and Suitcase Magazine.

Courtesy of Tristan Hutchinson

Courtesy of Tristan Hutchinson

Courtesy of Tristan Hutchinson

One To Watch In The Not-So-Distant Future: Ayesha Ahmad

Just 16 years old, Ayesha Ahmad is already giving even established photographers something to worry about. Listed among IMAGE magazine’s five Irish female photographers to follow earlier this year, she was a Headstuff Instagram pick of the week in December, and the youngest artist included in Peachy Dublin’s FEAR exhibition in August – alongside people like acclaimed street artist Maser and illustrator Claudine O’Sullivan. As if that all wasn’t good enough, Headstuff reported that her work also featured in the final 2016 issue ofV&A Magazine.